Calvin i



- modelo 0.1KIMBALLQ No. 246,148. PadaentedA Aug.v Z3, 1881..

WITNESSES NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN I. KIMBALL, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

i MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,148, dated August 23, 1881.

u Application filed June 25, 1881. (Model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CALVIN I. KIMBALL, of Portland, Cumberland county, Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail- Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to apparatus used on mail-cars for catching mail-bags, and have for their object to allow adjustment of the crane to the direction in which the car may be moving without removing the crane from its supports.

The invention consists in a swiveled crane sustained in its supporting-head by a springcatch, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of one end of a mail-car tted with the improved bag-catcher. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the catcher, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

The catcher, consisting of crane a and supporting-rod I),is fitted at the car-door as usual, the rod b being sustained in a horizontal position by the boxes c c, in which the rod is free to turn and slide, so that the crane can be projected at either side of the door. The rod bis fitted at- .its mid-length with a boss, d, which is apertured crosswise to receive the end of the crane, so as to form a socket-piece therefor. The crane a is a rod bent iu the usual form, and with its inner end bent to extend through the socket d, wherein it is held by a cross-pin, e, that takes against the side of the socket. rIhe shank portion of the crane within the socket is of smaller diameter, and carries a spiral spring, that tends to retain the pin e in contact with the socket-piece. Beneath the pin e the piece d is formed with a shoulder, g, in line with rod b, against which shoulder the pin takes, and thereby the crane is held rigidly in line with the rod. rIhe inner end of the crane, extending beyond piece d, is formed as a handle, h, by which the rod b and crane are to be turned and the crane held vprojected as usual.

With this construction the crane can be turned in its socket by first moving the shank endwise to relieve the pin c from the shoulderv 1. In mail-bag catchers, the combination of 6o the-swiveling crane a, provided with a springcatch, the socket-piece d, and supporting-rod b, substantially as shownand described.

2. In mail-bag catchers, the crane a, apertured piece d, formed with shoulder g, crosspin e, spring f, and rod b, substantially as shown and described, combined for operation as set forth.

CALVIN IRA KIMBALL.

Witnesses:

JosrAH H. DRUMMOND, J osIAH H. DRUMMOND, J r.` 

